As the course progresses, we compile a list of some of the major scientific ideas and innovations that have shaped evolution of life on Earth. The list is not exhaustive and is not chronological. It is suggested that you make your own list.
An Ideas and Innovations List - there are many others that qualify as major ideas or innovations
2.3D Euclidean Space | |
Time, concept and measurement |
Matter is typically made of molecules, bound together by electromagnetic (EM) forces |
Molecules are made of atoms, bound together by EM forces |
Atoms contain neutrons and protons in the nucleus and and orbiting electrons: the protons and neutrons are bound in the nucleus by nuclear forces and the electrons orbit the nucleus and is held in orbit by the EM forces attracting it to the protons in the nucleus. The atom is charge-neutral. |
Temperature is a measure of the vibrational energy of the atoms and molecules in the material |
Chemical interactions transform molecules but retain elements intact |
Space is mostly empty |
9.Human senses occupy a very small portion of measurable space-time | |
10.Energy is the capacity to do work and matter is energy in another localized form | |
11.Matter experiences four types of forces | |
12.The EM force is carried by photons | |
13.The strong nuclear force is by far the strongest force and hold the nucleus in place | |
14.The EM force operates between all charged particles (i.e. Electrons and protons) | |
15.The EM force is proportional to product of charges and inverse square of distance between them | |
16.Photons travel at the speed of light because light is simply photons of a particular range of frequencies | |
17.Matter+Energy is conserved | |
18.The Sun provides energy to Earth as a stream of photons | |
19.The force of
gravity is attractive and operates between any two masses, is proportional
to their masses and inversely proportional to the distance between them
| |
20.Our Universe started as a Big Bang, 15 billion years ago and has, on average, been cooling down ever since – our Universe is expanding | |
21.Background radiation exists from the Big Bang, exactly as predicted | |
22.As it cools, the Universe is on average becoming more disordered (less ordered, where entropy is a measure of order) | |
23.Locally, order increases by self-organization, to make stars, planets, all matter, you, me, everything that we observe, etc. | |
24.Stars exist in self-organized localized patterns, called galaxies | |
25.Galaxies are, on average, receding from each other | |
26.Earth formed by self-organization (accretization) about 5 billion years ago | |
27.A limited number of atoms can exist on Earth | |
28.The oceans formed a soup of complex molecules in which carbon-chains self-organized to form more and more complex forms under the priming of external photon energy from the Sun | |
29.Eventually,
carbon-based complex chain molecules self-replicated
| |
38.Darwin’s Theory of Evolution |
39.Humans divided from apes about 6 to 10 million years ago |
40.Modern humans came out of Africa about 400,000 years ago |
41.Major migrations of humans occurred after the last Ice Age |
42.Complex systems are chaotic and evolution is a chaotic process |
43.Self-organization is an important component principle underlying the increasing complexity of life under evolution |
44.Self-organization implies a local increase in order (decrease in entropy), driven by an external source of energy |
45.Our atmosphere, seas and soil are a complex chaotic system in which life has evolved under the priming of energy from the Sun |
46.DNA is a chemical code of digital instructions, organized as a sequence of genes, where each gene is the code for a unique sequence of amino acids which define long chains called proteins which are the chemical factories of life’s processes. DNA replicates. |
57.Fire, cooking |
58.Tools for cutting, grinding |
59.Language, art, logic |
60.Building shelters, pottery, paper, writing and reading |
61.Domestication of plants and animals |
62.Settlements, specialization, surpluses, trade, barter, money, exploration, travel, Cultures, religions, values, etc |
63.Arithmetic, geometry for trade, construction, etc. |
64.Memes |
65.Memetic Evolution |
66.A Global Brain |
67.Earth is approximately spherical |
68.Earth and the other planets orbit the Sun |
69.Earth is not the centre of the Universe but one of many planetary objects |
70.The heavenly bodies change over with time |
71.Laws of motion discovered for falling bodies |
72.Telescope observe distant objects |
73.Microscope magnify small objects |
74.Life is cellular |
75.The (Newtonian) Laws of Motion predict the dynamics of most systems of masses, given the initial conditions |
76.Calculus |
77.Optics, color |
78.Atomic and molecular structure of matter |
79.Nuclear structure of atoms (protons, neutrons) |
80.Fields explain force at a distance (electromagnetic, nuclear, gravitational) |
81.Electromagnetic waves propagation equations predict behaviour of natural systems |
82.Electromagnetic waves propagate light, radio, etc. and photns are the carrier at the speed of light |
83.Elements are chemically indivisible entities and only about 100 can exist on Earth |
84.Radioactivity |
85.Electron discovered by experiment |
86.Photon confirmed as light carrier |
87.Light speed constant for all observers regardless of their velocities |
88.Time is relative |
89.Matter and energy are equivalent – the elimination of one creates the other |
90.Light travels by the shortest distance in 4D space-time |
91.Mass distorts 4D space-time which creates the force of gravity |
92.Gravity and the force of acceleration are indistinguishable – they are the same |
93.The behaviour of everything in our Universe is inherently uncertain, according to quantum physics, implying that the future behaviour of physical systems cannot be exactly predicted from initial conditions |
94.Electrons are not isolated particles but exist as a distribution of probabilities that collapse upon interaction to yield an unpredictable outcome |
95.DNA has a helical structure and its replication is explained |
96.Selfish genes | |
Selfish memes and memetic evolution |
97.Altruistic genes |
98.Genome maps are found for different animals and plants |
99.Cloning |
100.Genetic modification |
101.Black holes and Dark Matter |
102.Sub atomic particles discovered |
103.Early Universe explained |
104.Iron, metallurgy, steel, guns |
105.Bronze, spinning wheel, textiles, silk |
106.Wheel, axles, spokes |
107.Irrigation, clocks, plows, compass, printing press, windmills |
108.Steam engine |
109.Mass production, factories | |
EM waves can be time-varied to send messages through the air, leading to radio, television, cell phones | |
EM waves can be time-varied to propagate in metal wires, leading to telephone, cable telecommunicationsSolid | |
Solid materials can be formed into a semi-conducting switch that toggles from on to off or off to on at high speed with low energy, leading to the transistor and the multi-million transistor silicon chip | |
Switches can be used to perform logical functions, including arithmetic and other computations, leading to computers | |
Computers can be networked to each other and to humans in real-time, leading to the Global Brain and the Global Network and the Global Village ? | |
Interconnected human brains and computing machines form a new super-organism ? | |
Life can leave Earth and survive elsewhere ? | |
Nano machines | |
Non-biological replicators and non-biological life ? |